Karachi: Muslim vandalises Hindu temple (VIDEO)

A Muslim man entered and broke statues of deities. He was stopped by local residents and handed over to the police. Shortly afterwards, the Hindu community gathered in the square to demand greater protection from the government.

Karachi (AsiaNews) - Yet another attack on a Hindu temple has saddened the community of Narainpura, near Karachi. A Muslim named Waleed entered the Durgaa Bhawani Narayan Mandir and vandalized the statues of the deities. 

At the time of the raid a woman was praying and shouted for help; her husband, Mukesh Kumar, and other local residents immediately intervened: they stopped the Muslim vandal and handed him over to the police. Several videos of the incident showing Waleed breaking the statues were posted to social media. The attacker said that the Hindu temple is not a worthy place for prayer.

Interviewed by AsiaNews Kashif Anthony, coordinator of the National Justice and Peace Commission and member of the Interfaith Commission for Peace and Harmony of the Archdiocese of Karachi strongly condemned the episode: "Not only the Indian community but also the Hindu community is saddened by this inhuman and extremist act. We ask the government to take serious action".

Immediately after the incident, the inhabitants of Karachi gathered and began to protest, demanding greater security and protection from the government (see video). The Pakistani police then intervened and took control of the situation. After registering the first information report, the officers said that the young Muslim man who attacked the temple was unemployed, but apparently in a good mental state. 

The Federal Minister for Public Affairs condemned the attack on the temple and promised protection to the Hindu community: "This kind of incident damages religious harmony and the country's reputation," he said. 

• pakistan
• karachi
• hindu
• hindu
• muslim
• attack
• temple
• vandalization
• statues
• police
• protection
• security
• religious minorities
• government